


P.S.

by maryfic



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-23
Updated: 2013-10-23
Packaged: 2017-12-30 05:57:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1014943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maryfic/pseuds/maryfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a silly little piece I wrote that somehow managed to find angst among all the fluff. Inspired by the song "Austin" by Blake Shelton, which I lifted and shifted lyrics from.</p>
            </blockquote>





	P.S.

Upper East Side, Manhattan, NYC 2003.

"Buffy, I can't. It's been way too long." Willow protested, sitting in front of her dresser combing out her now mid back length red hair.

Easing herself down onto the bed, the retired Slayer scoffed at her best friend's words. "What, like a year? Two maybe? That's not a horribly long time, Wills. You know, you deserve some happiness too, and I'm not going to sit here and let this go by like....like....I don't know. But you deserve it. Like me and Giles." Smiling, the blond patted her five months pregnant belly.

Willow grinned at the physical evidence of Buffy and Giles' immense affection for one another, but her and Angel was a different matter entirely. For one, it was a school girl crush on the older, devastatingly handsome man. Except she was almost 25 and still head over heels in love with him. For two, he was Buffy's! Except for the fact that he wasn't...not anymore.

"Willow, stop it! I can see you've got the 'I'm whipping myself' expression on that beautiful face of yours. Stop it." The former Slayer giggled, showing her age.

"But, Buffy..."

Useless her protests were, really. "No buts, Will. You're putting that message on the machine. And I'm gonna sit here and watch you do it, too." Buffy leaned back and gave Willow the look that so many times had made her husband back down. And it worked.

*******

Somewhere between L.A. and NYC, 2 AM.  
Same Night.

Angel leaned back into the first class seat of the Boeing 747 that was carrying him to New York on, at least as far as everyone else knew, business. And he was. It was just...slightly more personal than he'd let on, is all.

He opened his cell phone and dialed the number again. It had been off the hook most of the flight, and he wanted to make sure it actually WAS her number before he went pounding on her door, if he even had the guts to do that.

Christ, here he was, traipsing all the way across the country for some girl that he didn't even know if she liked him at all! Let alone in a romantic way. He thudded his head against the seat in frustration and a steward popped up immediately.

"Can I get you something, Mr. Rosenberg?" Angel grimaced at the irony in that statement. "A double scotch. Make it quick." He felt bad for snapping, so when the boy came back he slipped a bill into his hand. The kid smiled broadly and scraped like Angel was royalty. Dammit, must've given him a fifty by accident.

Swallowing the harsh liquor, Angel hit redial on the phone and held it up to his ear. Willow had been gone a year, said she needed to clear her mind, and he'd been tracking her ever since. The click of the machine coming on startled him, and he listened to the message.

"If you're calling about the house, I sold it.  
If this is about Tuesday, Frank, I'm on it.  
If it's anyone else, you know what to do...  
And P.S., if this is Angel, I still love you."

 

The phone slipped out of his suddenly numb hands and his jaw dropped open in undeniable shock. Angel barely noticed that the phone had fallen off of his lap and down to the floor of the plane. She what? And...oh god.

"I'd like another scotch, please." he told the steward, and barely even noticed when the liquor set the upper half of his digestive system on fire.

He reached down and snatched the phone from where it had fallen, redialing the number just to hear the message again. And he hadn't misheard the first time.

****************

Surely he’d misheard, Angel thought frantically, hitting redial yet again, hoping to hear the message again before the flight steward told him they were landing at JFK.  
What kind of girl, woman, would wait for so long, how much she would have to love him to hold onto that love, that desire, when he’d virtually ignored her ever since they’d met, except as Buffy’s friend, or the Net Girl, or hell, even just a friend? What kind of love that must be, he mused, sliding the phone into his pocket and letting his eyes close as he thought.  
********  
There were no messages, Willow knew, even as she checked the answering machine again. “Dammit, Buffy. I told you!” She raged in her empty apartment, then called Buffy again. It had been three days and still no word from Angel or Buffy.  
It was Friday afternoon, and Willow was fed up with the world. She called Buffy and left a message, then changed the message on her machine one more time.  
It’s Friday night and I’m out for the evening  
Then first thing Saturday I’m headed for the cabin  
And I’ll be gone all weekend long  
But I’ll call you back on Sunday afternoon  
And P.S., if this is Angel…I still love you.

Determined to forget, at least temporarily, Willow shrugged on her jacket and left, her stride purposeful as she headed for the subway. 

******

Angel watched, his face betraying no emotion as he watched the redhead descend the stairs into the subway. He pulled out the phone and dialed the number he knew by heart and listened the message, mentally kicking himself for waiting so long. 

“You are a fool,” he muttered, and took off down the street. 

He showed up about an hour later, soaked in the cold New York rain on Buffy and Giles’ apartment stoop. 

Buffy opened the door and started with shock. “Christ, Angel, you’re gonna make me go into labor. What the hell are you doing here?” the blonde asked, moving back to let him in out of the elements. 

“Avoiding Willow.” He answered gruffly as he walked into the apartment and stood dripping on the mat. 

“Oh my god,” Buffy exclaimed, tugging his coat off and yelling for Giles, who appeared behind her holding a towel and a fresh shirt. She directed slash pushed him into the guest bathroom with firm orders to dry off and meet them in the living room. 

“What is he doing here?” Buffy whispered. “I thought he was with Willow?” 

“I have no idea, perhaps he’s got cold feet, luv.” Giles answered his wife with a smile, helping her down onto the couch. 

“Well, I want some damn answers, that’s for sure.” Buffy humphed, crossing her arms on top of her stomach. 

“I have no doubt you’ll get them, here he comes.” 

 

Willow ended up headed to her parents’ cabin in the Catskills Friday night. It was a three hour drive, and she arrived somewhere in the vicinity of midnight, too tired and depressed to do anything but lock the rental car and make it into the living room before dropping onto the couch in sheer mental exhaustion. 

She pulled the quilt on the back over her and let her eyes close, pushing any and all thoughts that might lead her back to Angel out of her mind as sleep took her. 

 

***

Manhattan – The Giles’ apartment, earlier that evening

Angel paced in the wake of a furious Buffy’s diatribe. “What the hell were you thinking? Angel. You flew across the country for her, and then you just stalk her for days while she bares her heart to the world on a goddamn answering machine? You have got to be the most pathetic excuse for a man I have ever seen!” 

Angel looked up, pleading silently with Giles to stop his wife, but to no avail. “Buffy…” 

The blonde spun around then stopped as a wave of dizziness over came her, then she shook it off. 

“Don’t you ‘Buffy’ me! You love her, she’s loved you since before you left for Los Angeles, and now you’re what, too scared to go up to her and say, hey, Willow. You’re the one I’ve always wanted, take me!” Buffy shook her head again. “No, not another word,” she said, as the vampire opened his mouth again. “You are going to listen to me and this time, you are NOT going to mess up the plan. Now come over here.” 

Buffy stalked into the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen table, motioning Giles and Angel to join her as she started scribbling like mad on a sheet of paper. 

One hour later

“This has got to be the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard of,” Angel muttered from the backseat, where he lay hog-tied and blindfolded as Giles manipulated the SUV out of the city and onto the highway to Willow’s cabin. 

“It is NOT stupid,” Buffy insisted. “We are going to dump you on the front porch, it’s completely shaded, so don’t worry about being roasty toasty, and let Willow find you there with a note pinned to your shirt. It’s almost like you thought of this yourself, only not.” 

Giles groaned silently…he had to admit the plan had merit, after all, but Buffy tended to get a bit…out of control sometimes with her efforts to help Willow with her love life. And ever since she’d found out that the object of the redhead’s affection was Angel…well, he had the feeling this plan had been percolating for quite some time. 

Buffy reached to turn on the radio and Angel fell quiet as they moved into the mountains, the tires eating up the miles until their destination. 

“Giles! Turn off the lights!” Buffy hissed, and he complied as they rounded the corner to the cabin and he saw what she had moments earlier. “That’s a rental car! She’s here already! Dammit…now what?” The slayer lapsed into muttering contemplation. 

A few minutes later, there was a new plan. She and Giles dragged the still bound Angel up to the porch, and Buffy crept around the side to look in the living room windows. 

“Yes! She’s asleep on the couch. Giles, run back to the car and wait for me, turn it on, we have to leave as soon as I get there. Open my door for me too, okay? Now go, quick!” Buffy’s face was flushed from excitement, and she knew that this time, nothing was getting in the way of her plans. Not even her best friends. 

She watched as Giles approached the car and turned it on, remembering to turn it around. When he was finally in position, Buffy pulled a note out of her pocket (in Angel’s handwriting, no less! She was a genius!), rolled it up, and stuck one end down the front of the vampire’s shirt. 

Looking around, she spotted the ancient bell pull and yanked. Hard. As the chimes rang out, Buffy leaped off the porch and took off for the SUV, telling Giles to GO GO GO, before she’d even got her door shut. 

Buffy collapsed into laughter as Giles pulled to the side of the road to help her get her seatbelt on, then they made their way back home, trusting Nature and the Fates to take care of their friends. 

*******************

Willow was dreaming. She was laying in meadow, perfect, springy green grass beneath her, cradling her like the Mother the earth was to witches everywhere. The sun was shining down, but her mood was as dark as the storm clouds that were rolling in above her. 

Suddenly something blocked out the sun, and a loud and clanging noise broke into her peaceful world. Willow sat up quickly and looked around, but saw nothing. The tolling continued and it filled her head until she brought her hands up to her ears to try and keep it out, but it swallowed her whole and the world went dark. 

The redhead sat up with a start, her breath coming in sharp gasps as the living room came back into focus in the darkened room and she realized what the sound was that had woken her. 

“The doorbell?” she muttered, getting up off the couch and walking back to the door, puzzled. “Who knows I’m here?” 

A glance out the window told her everything she needed to know and with a cry, Willow threw all caution to the wind as well as the door, nearly banging it off its hinges as she dropped to her knees beside the bound Angel at her feet. 

“Angel?” she called, shaking him lightly before she saw the rolled paper in his shirt. He didn’t appear to be hurt, other than being blindfolded and tied up, so the witch sat back on her heels and unrolled the missive. 

Willow, 

If you’re wondering about my heart  
It’s always been yours  
I should have listened to it a little more  
Then it wouldn’t have taken me so long  
To find where I belong

So take this offering of my heart and soul  
A bound angel that seeks to be free  
And Willow, if you’ll have me  
I’ve always loved you.

Tears flowed from her eyes as they traveled down the page, and she reached down and pulled the blindfold up, revealing a very awake Angel with similar moisture in his chocolate brown orbs. 

“Oh, Angel.” 

“I love you, Willow Rosenberg. Will you still have me?” 

“Always.” 

“Thank gods, now please untie me. If I lose any more circulation I won’t be able to make love to you tonight like I’ve been dying to the past few years.” 

Willow laughed and complied, her hands easily undoing the loose knots. The second they slid free Angel had her in his arms and in the house, heading for the stairs at the back of the living room.

To claim what had always been his, he just was too blind to see. 

THE END.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love!


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